Forbidden Hogwarts 2: That's 'Chicago'
by StephenKingJunkie
Summary: What happens when Hogwarts, wanting to get past the Disney debacle, decides to perform 'Chicago? Enjoy!
1. The Flier

_**CASTING CALL**_

**'Chicago'**

**Auditions will be held in the Great Hall at 3 P.M. a week from today - see you there!**

Just about everyone at Hogwarts got those fliers at breakfast, but few took them seriously.

Diana Cross was one of the few.

Diana looked at the flier and almost choked on her orange juice. "Oh my God... Cedric, are you reading this?!"

"Yeah, why?"

"I've got to try out!"

Cedric smiled a little, trying not to break down and start laughing. "Who would you be trying out for?"

"Velma, of course. And you?"

"How did me trying out get into this conversation? It's Quidditch season."

Diana smiled slyly. "I think you'd be a good Billy Flynn, but I suppose that's just me. If you'd rather play Quidditch with the guys, then fine by me -"

"Billy Flynn... huh. Are you thinking of 'Razzle Dazzle' or 'All I Care About'?"

"Actually, I was thinking of 'They Both Reached For the Gun', but now that you mention 'All I Care About' -"

"Diana, don't even think about it," Cedric laughed. "But I think I will do it."

-------------------------------------------

Cho (who had heard the conversation at the Hufflepuff table) and the rest of her Ravenclaw posse got the flier, too.

"So," Marietta said, "Are you trying out, Cho?"

"Why not? It'll be a good laugh."

"Who'll you try out for?"

"Roxie, I guess." Cho thought with a grin on her face, "Well, Miss Cross, let the games begin."

------------------------------------------

Everyone at the Gryffindor table was discussing it as well.

Angelina turned to the twins and the trio and said, "Are you guys trying out? I think I'll try out for Mama Morton."

Hermione said, "Maybe I'll try for Mary Sunshine... she was always my favorite. _Understandable, understandable, yes, it's perfectly -_"

"Okay, okay, I didn't say start singing. What about you guys?"

Harry said, "I'll try for the bandleader - he's pretty cool. Or maybe Fred."

Ron shrugged. "I'll try for Amos. Who knows, maybe an extremely hot person will be cast as Roxie - ow, Hermione!" He proceeded to protectively shield his arm so she couldn't elbow him again.


	2. Funny Honey and Class

A few days later...

Diana cleared her throat and started to sing again. "_Come on, babe, why don't we paint the town... and all that jazz -_ crap, my voice cracked again!"

"Honey, you sounded fine!" Cedric said honestly.

Nonetheless, she fell face-down onto the common room couch and buried her head in the couch cushion. Diana's muffled voice said, "I'm never going to get the part, why

do I even bother...?"

Cedric sat down next to her and said, "Stop moping around - you think Catherine Zeta-Jones got to play Velma Kelly by freaking out over nothing?"

Diana turned over and narrowed her eyes. "Ced, I'm not freaking out over nothing here. Auditions are in 5 days and my voice is still cracking!"

"I'm just trying to help - don't look at me in that tone of voice."

She tried to keep the angry look, but she started laughing in spite of herself. "You're a silly one..." she whispered. Then Diana grinned. "I think your new nickname's Funny Honey."

Diana smiled softly and sang, looking into his eyes,

"_Sometimes I'm right,_

_Sometimes I'm wrong,_

_But you never care,_

_You'll string along..._

_I love you so,_

_You funny honey of mine..._

_Sometimes I'm down,_

_Sometimes I'm up,_

_But you'll follow 'round_

_Like some droopy-eyed pup,_

_I love you so,_

_You funny honey of mine..._"

She laughed a little. "I don't think I remember the rest of the words."

Cedric, as he leaned in to kiss her, murmured, "That's okay. You're my funny honey too."

---------------------------------------------------

Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room, staring into the fireplace. It was impossible to get to sleep these days. Ron was being a pain, Harry was preoccupied with Quidditch tryouts, and the twins were busy with their prank ideas. It was now midnight and she didn't care.

"Mione? What are you doing up?"

Hermione turned around - Ginny. "Nothing... just thinking."

"Same here." Ginny laughed a little. "Harry's more in love with Quidditch then me, I think."

"Here, sit down." Ginny wound up sitting down next to her. Neither of them said anything for a second.

Then, Ginny said, "Whole world's going downhill, if you ask me."

"Tell me about it," Hermione muttered. She smirked and began to sing.

"_Whatever happened to fair dealings_

_And pure ethics and nice manners?_

_Why is it everyone now is a pain in the ass?_

_Whatever happened to class?_"

Ginny smiled. "Class..." she whispered. Then, she sang, "_Whatever happened to 'Please, may I?'_

_and 'Yes, thank you,'_

_And 'How charming'?_

_Now every son of a bitch is a snake in the grass..._

_Whatever happened to class?_"

Hermione, thinking back, laughed, "Class."

They both sang,

"_Oh, there ain't no gentlemen to open up the doors,_

_There ain't no ladies now, there's only pigs and whores,_

_And even kids'll knock you down so's they can pass -_

_Nobody's got no class!_"

Hermione sang, "_Whatever happened to good values?_"

Ginny sang, "_And fine morals?_"

"_And good breeding?_"

"_Now, no one even says 'Oops'_

_When they're passing their gas!_"

They both sang,

"_Whatever happened to class?_

_Class..._

_Oh, there ain't no gentlemen who's fit for any use,_

_And any girl will touch your privates for a deuce,_

_And even kids will kick your shins and give you sass,_

_Nobody's got no class!_"

Hermione shook her head sadly and sang, "_All you read about today is rape and theft!_"

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "_Jesus Christ! Ain't there no decency left?_"

They both sang, "_Nobody's got no class!_"

Ginny sang, "_Every guy is a snot!_"

"_Every girl is a twat!_"

"_Holy shit..._"

"_Holy shit..._"

"_What a shame..._"

"_What a shame..._"

They both sang, "_What became of class?_"


	3. The Hogwarts Dorm Tango

The day before rehearsals...

At the Nine Muses, all the guys were wondering what the girls were up to. The six girls who frequented the Nine Muses the most - Hermione, Pansy (who had threatened to break Fred's nose if he didn't let her in), Lavender, Luna, Diana, and Ginny - had been planning a musical number all week, but wouldn't tell anyone what it was. Well,

besides Fred, but he was in the number, apparently.

Cedric, Harry, and Ron all sat at the same table this time. Harry said, "Hey guys, what do you think they're up to?"

"I dunno," Ron said. "Maybe a group 'Lady Marmalade' or something."

Cedric shrugged. "I doubt it... must be something to do with 'Chicago'."

Just then, the girls walked out onstage. They were all wearing black dresses with their hair in French twists. They all walked up to the one microphone.

They all said at the same time, "Now, this song consists of both past relationships and possible break-up scenarios - guys, don't take it seriously! You know we love you!"

With that, the lights went out. Cedric could hear someone clearing the tables from the center of the room, as well as people rushing to the spot. Fred picked up the microphone and said, "Now, the Nine Muses would like to present to you the Six Break-Up Queens of Hogwarts, in their rendition of 'The Hogwarts Dorm Tango'." The audience started laughing.

The spotlights showed in the center where the tables had been cleared. The girls were all standing up straight with their eyes to the floor. The music started.

Hermione looked up and said, "Snap."

Pansy looked up and said, "Six."

Lavender looked up and said, "Squish."

Luna looked up and said, "No way."

Diana looked up and said, "Broomsticks."

Ginny looked up and said, "Potter."

They all sang, "_He had it coming,_

_He had it coming,_

_He only had himself to blame..._

_If you had been there, if you'd have seen it,_

_I betcha you would've done the same!_"

Now there was only one spotlight - Hermione.

She said, "You know how people have these little habits that get you down? Like... Viktor. Viktor liked to chew gum. No, not chew. Snap. So I come back to the common room this one day and I'm REALLY irritated and I'm looking for a bit of sympathy, and there's Viktor, lying on the couch, drinking a Firewhiskey and chewing. Not, not chewing. Snapping! So I said, 'Viktor, if you snap that gum one more time...'" Hermione sighed. "And he did. And that's when I snapped!"

They all sang, "_He had it coming,_

_He had it coming,_

_He only had himself to blame..._

_If you had been there, if you'd have seen it,_

_I betcha you would've done the same!_"

The spotlight switched to Pansy.

She said, "I met Draco Malfoy on the Hogwarts Express about 3 years ago, and he told me he was single. We thought that we were both rather cool. So, we started dating. We'd go to the Hog's Head on weekends, parties at the Malfoy Estate, things like that. And then I found out - single he told me. Single my ass! Not only was he going steady, oh no - he had six girlfriends. One of those players, you know? So that weekend, when we went to the Hog's Head, I threw my drink in his face and told him to piss off!"

They all sang, "_He had it coming,_

_He had it coming,_

_He only had himself to blame..._

_If you had been there, if you'd have seen it,_

_I betcha you would've done the same!_"

The spotlight switched to Lavender.

She said, "Now, I always tried not to pay attention to Ron's faults. But sometimes, they really wore me down, you know? And then, when we were at the Halloween Dance last year, he stepped on BOTH my feet and said, 'Oh, sorry, didn't see you'. Didn't see me?! Well let me tell you, when his mother saw him afterwards, she cried!"

They all sang, "_He had it coming,_

_He had it coming,_

_He only had himself to blame..._

_If you had been there, if you'd have seen it,_

_I betcha you would've done the same!_"

The spotlight switched to Luna.

She said, "Why does Neville think I did it? Someone wrote him a letter saying I wanted to break up with him, and then signed it with my name, and he thinks I wrote the letter! Neville, believe me, I didn't do it!"

They all sang, "_He had it coming,_

_He had it coming,_

_He only had himself to blame..._

_If you had been there, if you'd have seen it,_

_I betcha you would've done the same!_"

The spotlight switched to Diana.

She said, "If you looked at Cedric and I, you'd think you'd never find a better relationship. We did everything together - talking, homework, dinner, each other." She paused to let everyone finish laughing. "Perfect existence, right? Wrong. This one night, we were at the Three Broomsticks, and I had to go to the bathroom, so I went. I came back, went to the booth, and there's Cedric and his ex, Cho - kissing! Needless to say, I broke up with him on the spot."

They all sang, "_He had it coming,_

_He had it coming,_

_He only had himself to blame..._

_If you had been there, if you'd have seen it,_

_I betcha you would've done the same!_"

The spotlight switched to Ginny.

She said, "I loved Harry Potter more then I could possibly say. He was a real revolutionary guy - clever, creative. He would go out every night getting people to petition against Umbridge, and along the way... Cho, Parvarti, and Padma signed up. I guess you could say we broke up because of varying levels of common sense - he saw himself as a nice guy, and I saw him as a jerk!"

They all sang, "_He had it coming,_

_He had it coming,_

_He only had himself to blame..._

_If you had been there, if you'd have seen it,_

_I betcha you would've done the same!_"

Hermione whispered, "Snap."

Pansy whispered, "Six."

Lavender whispered, "Squish."

Luna whispered, "No way."

Diana whispered, "Broomsticks."

Ginny whispered, "Potter."

The lights went out once again. The applause started up, and all of the lights went back on, and all 6 of the girls curtsied and went back to their tables. Ron and Harry went to sit with Hermione and Ginny.

Diana sat down and said, "Well?"

Cedric raised an eyebrow. "Um... what to say to something like that... very funny, actually. You spent all week making that up?"

"Mmm-hmm. Everyone wrote their own verse."

He laughed, "I'm not even going to ask where you came up with the idea for yours."

Diana smiled, trying not to show her teeth. "Call it a brain storm."


	4. Diana Cross in an Act of Desperation

3 days after auditions...

_**The Final Cast List For**_

_**'Chicago'**_

_**-----------------------**_

_**Roxie Hart...Cho Chang**_

_**Velma Kelly...Diana Cross**_

_**Billy Flynn...Cedric Diggory**_

_**Amos Hart...Ron Weasley**_

_**Mama Morton...Angelina Johnson**_

_**Mary Sunshine...Hermione Granger**_

_**Kitty Baxter...Ginny Weasley**_

_**Bandleader...Harry Potter**_

_**Fred Casely...Fred Weasley**_

_**Harrison...Neville Longbottom**_

_**Pop...Susan Bones**_

_**Six...Hannah Abott**_

_**Squish...Parvarti Patil**_

_**Uh-Uh...Padma Patil**_

_**Lipchitz...Marietta Edgecombe**_

**Rehearsals start on Monday at 6 p.m. and will be every day at 6 p.m. from then on. Congratulations!**

All who had made it got sent those letters at breakfast on Saturday, along with the songs they had to sing in the course of the show.

--------------------------------------

When Diana saw the list, she nearly choked once again. Cedric actually did break down and laugh this time.

She said, "Ced, oh my God, we got the parts! Omigod, omigod -"

"Okay, I get the point! Wow... I didn't think I'd get that part... I just went for the fun of it..." Cedric looked at his song list - 'Razzle Dazzle', 'They Both Reached For the Gun', and 'All I Care About' (the thought of what would happen if his mom went to the performance and saw him doing that number made him feel sick). "Well," he thought, "This is going to be one interesting experience."

Diana looked at her song list - 'All That Jazz', 'Cell Block Tango', 'I Can't Do It Alone', 'Class', and 'Hot Honey Rag'. She could barely stay sitting, she was so excited.

She looked up, laughing.

Cedric raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny, Cool Whip?"

"_All I care about is love..._" She started laughing even harder.

"Diana, please - I don't even want to think about that right now..."

"I'm going to send your mom tickets to the show myself. Maybe your grandma, too."

"That'd be rather interesting... partly because I'd have to kill you. Seriously, I think 'All I Care About' can be classified as a striptease. My mom would have a heart attack. And my dad would never let me live it down, for that matter."

"Ced, I highly doubt Umbridge would let her innocent Hogwarts students do that onstage. Don't worry about it." Diana laughed a little. "Besides, I have to sing 'All That Jazz'."

--------------------------------------

That night...

"Diana?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm seriously considering telling them to find someone else."

Diana looked at him unbelievingly. "Cedric, you can't -"

"Who says I can't? I'm not cut out for this sort of thing."

"Please, don't drop out. They'll most likely cast Draco if you go - I won't be able to take starring with both Cho and Draco. Please, don't."

"Diana, nothing you can say is going to change my mind. I'm dropping out."

Diana stared at him for a second, then got up off the common room couch.

She straightened her shoulders and sang,

"_My sister and I had an act that couldn't flop _-"

"Diana! I'm not going to -"

"_My sister and I were headed straight for the top..._

_My sister and I earned a thou a week, at least, oh yeah,_

_But my sister is now unfortunately deceased._

_I know it's sad, of course, but a fact is still a fact,_

_And now all that remains is the remains of a perfect double act!_

_Watch this._"

"It's no use - you're not changing my mind."

Diana didn't listen - she only smiled. "Now, you gotta imagine it with two people. It's swell with two people. _First I'd..._"

She shimmied forward and backward.

"_Then she'd..._"

She did the Charleston, ending in a jazz square.

"_Then we'd..._"

She did a grapevine.

"_But I can't do it alone! She'd go..._"

Diana did a backward gallop to the right.

"_Then I'd..._"

She did a backward gallop to the left.

_"Then we'd..._"

She spinned in a circle.

"_But I can't do it alone!_ _She'd say 'What's your sister like?', I'd say 'Men', she'd say 'You're the cat's meow', then we'd wow the crowd again when she'd go..._"

She did a one-handed cartwheel.

"_I'd go..._"

She did a backward backflip.

"_We'd go..._"

She did a Cupid shuffle, then sat on the arm of the couch. Looking right at Cedric, she sang, "_Then those ding-dong daddies started a roar, whistled, stomped, banged on the floor, yelling, screaming, begging for more, and we'd say 'Okay fellas, keep your socks up, 'cause you ain't seen nothing yet!'_"

Diana looked at him pleadingly. "I don't remember the rest of the lyrics. But what I'm trying to say is... Cedric, I can't do it alone. Please... don't drop out. It's all I ask. Consider it a wedding present if you want, but... look, I'm not going to keep begging -"

"Fine, I'll do it," Cedric sighed, "If only because you won't shut up otherwise. But if my mom actually DOES have a heart attack, I'm holding you personally responsible."

-------------------------------

The next morning, though nothing 'Chicago'-related happened, proved rather interesting as well.

It all started with a letter Diana got from her mom.

Cedric asked, "What'd she say?"

She didn't answer - she was staring at a picture that had been included with the letter. It looked a computer print-out, a Muggle photo, no less, but Diana looked like she was about to pass out.

"Diana...?"

She turned the picture so he could see it - a blue background, with a bunch of Muggles looking at the camera, and all of them looked like they couldn't be bothered. Diana was smiling like a maniac.

"What?" he laughed.

"Look at the guy in the center - you can't tell me that after 4 years of knowing me, you don't know who that is."

Cedric took the picture and looked at the guy in the center - bronze hair, brown eyes, and rather defined jaw and cheek bones. "He looks familiar, but I can't say I know who it is."

"Cedric... the people you're looking at..." Diana took a deep breath, then squealed, "THEY'RE GOING TO PLAY THE CULLENS!"

"Oh, in 'Twilight'?"

"And the guy in the center is Robert Pattinson, you moron!"

"Oh... I thought he looked familiar. Christ, he looks different. So he's going to play Edward, I suppose?"

"Ch-yeah! Oh my God... the room's beginning to spin 'cause of hotness."

"I can't believe I've got to compete with a vampire for your heart," Cedric sighed good-naturedly.

"Aw... don't worry, you'll always have half of it."

"Gee, thanks," he said sarcastically. "It's definitely an off-day when my fiancee doesn't tell me that half of her heart belongs to a fictional bloodsucker."


	5. El Tango de Roxanne

The next day was the day the cast both anticipated and dreaded - the first day of rehearsals.

Professor McGonagall was waiting for them all in the Great Hall at 3 p.m. sharp. They all came, of course - the main cast AND the extras.

The first thing they did was go through all the songs - the extra parts were assigned, and a couple of dance moves were learned.

--------------------------------------

That night at dinner...

"Ced, I was never cut out for show business," Diana said through a mouthful of pumpkin pasty.

"You see what I meant when I said I was thinking about dropping out?"

"Having to sing 'All I Care About' isn't that bad. My problem is dancing to 'Hot Honey Rag'. There's no way I'll ever memorize all those steps. I mean, I thought they were using the original version of it, not the movie version. The movie version's way complicated."

"So they want to show off the fact that they can pull off special effects better then the Muggle companies. You'll get them down, don't worry. If you can memorize 'Moulin Rouge' and 'The Phantom of the Opera', you can memorize the steps to... Diana, are you okay?"

Diana had zoned out, staring at her fingernails. "Yeah... I just had a really weird dream last night. I dreamt I was snogging a giant waffle. With blueberries AND chocolate chips."

Cedric laughed a rather fake-sounding laugh, deciding not to say anything about the diamonds dream.

Diana started laughing, too. "Cedric, you sounded like Michael Douglas in 'War of the Roses' just now, I must say."

"That was a genuine laugh, thank you very much."

"Ch-yeah right. It takes a very special kind of guy to laugh when his fiancee says she dreamed about snogging a waffle."

Neither of them said anything for a moment, then all of the sudden, the lights went out. People started shouting obscenities and yelling 'Lumos'.

Cedric laughed, "What the hell?"

Diana shrugged. "Same question."

Just then, a figure in the darkness walked up to the two of them and said, "'El Tango de Roxanne'. Here, now. You guys can have Ewan's part. You up for it?"

They both realized it was Harry. "Alright, we're in."

"Alright, right before the part comes up, go to the open space between the Hufflepuff and Slytherin tables."

The music started out of nowhere. Harry rushed to the center of the open space between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables, where Ginny was waiting. A single spotlight lit up.

They danced slowly, but expertly... Diana wasn't sure if it counted as tango, but it seemed close to it...

Harry's voice echoed across the hall as he sang,

"_Roxanne, you don't have to put on that red light,_

_Walk the streets for money, you don't care if it's wrong or if it's right..._

_Roxanne, you don't have to wear that dress tonight,_

_Roxanne, you don't have to sell your body to the night..._"

Cedric and Diana rushed to the open space between the two tables, trying not to laugh too loudly. The spotlight flashed to them.

They both sang softly at first, then gaining volume,

"_His eyes upon your face,_

_His hand upon your hand,_

_His lips caress your skin,_

_It's more then I can stand!_"

Diana could barely feel her feet move as she and Cedric danced - it felt more like spinning faster and faster, gliding, defying all forces of gravity. And all things considered, she couldn't complain. "Feels like dancing with Edward Cullen," she thought.

"_Why does my heart cry_

_Feelings I can't fight?_

_You're free to leave me,_

_But just don't deceive me and please, _

_Believe me when I say_,"

She was finally brought out of spinning by the death drop - she was two inches from the floor, the only thing stopping her from cracking her head on the stone floor being Cedric's arm around her waist.

"_'I love you'..._"


	6. Give 'Em the Old Razzle Dazzle

Professor McGonagall, directing from the front of the stage, said, "Okay, guys, from the top!"

Cho and Cedric were onstage now. Both of them were standing, Cho glancing at her script constantly, trying to get Cedric to notice her eyes flirtily look up. Cedric rarely glanced at the script and was wondering if Cho had been living under a rock - hadn't she heard about the engagement?

"Action!"

Cedric, grinning, said, "Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Billy... I'm scared."

"Don't be. I've been around a long time. Believe me, you've got nothing to worry about. It's all a circus, a 3-ring circus. The trial, the whole world... is all a show business.

Kid, you're gonna be a star."

Neville pressed play on the CD player in the back. Cedric, already getting nervous because he still hadn't been able to get the lyrics down, but trying to look at the script as

little as possible, sang,

"_Give 'em the old razzle dazzle,_

_Razzle dazzle 'em..._

_Give 'em an act with lots of flash in it,_

_And the reaction will be passionate!_

_Give 'em the old hocus pocus,_

_Bead and feather 'em..._

_How can they see with sequins in their eyes?_

_What if your hinges all are rusting?_

_What if, in fact, you're just disgusting?_

_Razzle dazzle 'em,_

_And they'll never catch wise!_

_Give 'em the old razzle dazzle,_

_Razzle dazzle 'em..._

_Give 'em a show that's so splendiferous,_

_Row after row will grow vociferous..._

_Give 'em the old flim flam flummox,_

_Fool and fracture 'em,_

_How can they hear the truth above the roar?_

_Throw 'em a fake and a finagle -_

_They'll never know you're just a bagel!_

_Razzle dazzle 'em,_

_And they'll beg you for more!_

_Give 'em the old double whammy,_

_Daze and dizzy 'em,_

_Back since the days of old Methuselah,_

_Everyone loves the big bambooz-a-ler..._

_Give 'em the old three ring circus,_

_Stun and stagger 'em,_

_When you're in trouble, go into your dance!_

_Though you are stiffer than a girder,_

_They'll let you get away with murder!_

_Razzle dazzle 'em,_

_And you've got a romance!_

_Give 'em the old razzle dazzle,_

_Razzle dazzle 'em..._

_Show 'em the first rate sorceror you are!_

_Long as you keep 'em way off balance,_

_How can they spot you've got no talent!_

_Razzle dazzle 'em,_

_Razzle dazzle 'em,_

_Razzle dazzle 'em,_

_And they'll make you a star!_"

McGonagall yelled, "Cut!"

Cedric rolled his eyes. "What did I do this time," he thought.

So, McGonagall saying, "Perfect," was a bit of a surprise. And everyone was relieved when she said that rehearsals were done for the day.

Diana, who hadn't been needed at rehearsals that day, was in the common room singing, since no one else was anywhere near.

She, sprawled on the couch like a rag doll with eyes closed, sang along with the radio turned up full-blast.

"_I am, he is,_

_You are, he is,_

_You are me,_

_And we are all together,_

_See how they run like like pigs from a gun, see how they run,_

_I'm crying..._

_Sitting on a cornflake,_

_Waiting for the van to come,_

_Corporation T-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday,_

_Man, you've been a naughty boy, you let your face grow long..._

_I am the eggman, they are the eggman, I am the walrus,_

_Goo goo ga'joob!_

_Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye,_

_Crabalocker fishwife, pornographic priestess,_

_Boy, you've been a naughty girl, you let your knickers down..._

_I am the eggman, they are the eggman, I am the walrus,_

_Goo goo ga'joob!_

_Sitting in an English garden, waiting for the sun,_

_If the sun don't come, you get a tan from standing in the English rain..._

_I am the eggman, they are the eggman, I am the walrus,_

_Goo goo ga'joob!_"

She heard someone laughing - Diana opened her eyes. Cedric was standing in the doorway, laughing like an idiot.

Diana raised an eyebrow, turned down the radio, closed her eyes, and sang,

"_Hufflepuff dork, don't you realize_

_John Lennon was a freaking genius?_

_Stop laughing at me, I'll sing this if I want to,_

_You're a dork squaaaaad..._"

She opened her eyes again, grinning. "I'm out of ideas - I don't think I need to explain my point further."

Cedric crossed his arms, smiling a little. "The latest in a series of you singing along with obviously-drug-induced lyrics. And you're right, John Lennon was a genius - one who happened to be tripping on LSD. Hence 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds'."

"Ced, just shut up. His songs are my anthems."

Just then, the radio announcer said, "And that was 'I Am the Walrus' by the Beatles... next up on WWN Oldies, we've got 'Shake Shake Senora' by Harry Belafonte - enjoy!"

Diana laughed, "If I had a Sickle for every time I've heard that song, I'd be rich - what're you doing?"

Cedric had picked up the book she had set on the table. He'd seen her reading it before - something about a coven in New Orleans by a Muggle named Anne Rice. Diana was always reading her books. "Interview With the Vampire... now, why are you reading this again?"

"You of all people should know why, honey."

"Either they want you to play Madeleine or you're too obsessed with vampires."

"I'm obsessed. Actually, according to this list my mom sent me, I have no life."

"What are the signs?"

"I classify everyone as either a Louis or a Lestat."

"Wha? You do?"

"Yeah. And you're a Lestat, by the way. If only because he's my favorite."

Cedric raised an eyebrow, then cleared his throat, grinned, and said with a French accent, "I'm honored, ma cherie."

Diana started laughing louder then she usually did. "See, THAT, right there, is why I love you so much. You never think I'm crazy."

"What are some other signs?"

"Let's see... buying Blood-Flavored Lollipops -"

"You've actually done that?"

"Yeah. Your point?"

"...never mind. Please continue."

"Okay, there was naming your owl Mojo, blaring 'Louie, Louie' at full volume just because, and I almost broke my mom's VCR watching and rewinding Louis and Armand's almost-kiss-scene. Proof enough for ya?"

Neither of them was sure how to continue the conversation, so they remained quiet. Finally, he said quietly as he sat down next to her on the couch, "You really are a silly one. In fact, that what's I love about you."

"Oh really now? You enjoy being engaged to someone who'll probably wind up in a room with padded walls?"

Cedric laughed a little, then said, "What do you think our first dance song should be?"

"... I haven't given it much thought."

"That's okay, considering we've decided to wait until after graduation to get married, right?"

"Yeah... wow, it's only the end of 6th year now. I don't know if I can wait another year."

"I don't think you'd want to be the only honor roll student with a husband."

"Good point. And you wouldn't want to be the only guy on the Quidditch team with a wife yelling at you to stop playing Quidditch and take out the trash."

They both laughed a little, and then Diana said, "To be honest... I was going to ask you if you wanted the song to be 'Chances Are'."

Cedric stared at her for a minute, wondering if she had been taking mind-reading lessons or something. "Did you know that's my song for you?"

"No... that's kind of funny..." Diana looked down at the floor, smiling. "You should've heard my mom freaking out when I told her you proposed. She sounded like a Valley Girl or something."

"My parents kept telling me about all the different ways I should propose... they mentioned putting the ring in your food and things like that."

"I like the way you proposed... it was lovely."

"Really? God, I was so scared that night, I kept thinking, 'What if she says no?' and -"

"Why on Earth would I say no?"

"Well, you know me, I worry about random things."


	7. Come What May

The next night...

"So," Diana said as she and Cedric walked down the Hogsmeade sidewalk, "What do you think will happen after Hogwarts?"

"You mean with our classmates included, or just with us?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Let's see... Fred and George will probably have that joke shop they're always talking about, Hermione might be the Hogwarts librarian, Harry and Ron might be Aurors... I don't know about the rest."

"What do you think it'll be like with us?"

Cedric paused to think. Anything could happen. "I'm not sure."

"Me neither, but the thought of graduation scares me senseless."

"Why's that?"

"Entering the real world, I guess. What if everything goes wrong? I'd expect you to worry about that, too -"

"We've still got a year of school left! Don't worry about it until then." He kissed her forehead. "And I promise you," he whispered, "Everything will turn out fine. Whether you become a famous actress and we're living in Hollywood, or whether we're stuck in the suburbs with me working for 'The Daily Prophet'. And one thing you can be sure of is that I'll always love you, no matter what happens."

Diana blushed as she looked down at the pavement, too happy to say anything.

Looking up at the stars that crowded the night sky, Cedric sang,

"_Never knew I could feel like this,_

_Like I'd never seen the sky before..._

_Want to vanish inside your kiss,_

_Every day, I love you more and more..._

_Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing,_

_Telling me to give you everything?_

_Seasons may change, winter to spring,_

_But I love you until the end of the time..._

_Come what may, come what may,_

_I will love you until my dying day..._"

Diana sang, holding his hand,

"_Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place,_

_Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace,_

_Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste,_

_It all revolves around you..._"

Looking into each other's eyes, they both sang,

"_And there's no mountain too high,_

_No river too wide,_

_Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side,_

_Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide,_

_But I love you until the end of time..._

_Come what may, come what may,_

_I will love you until my dying day,_

_Oh, come what may, come what may,_

_I will love you..._"

Diana, smiling as if she had never smiled before, sang, "_Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place..._"

They both sang quietly,

"_Come what may, come what may,_

_I will love you until my dying day..._"


End file.
